- University president Rocky Tuan has been criticised for his handling of the redesign with lawmakers calling for an independent inquiry
- Students and alumni did not appreciate the new crest with many blaming a lack of consultation for the negative reactions
The Chinese University of Hong Kong has reverted to its old crest. Photo: K. Y. ChengThe Chinese University of Hong Kong has ditched its new crest a week after it was introduced following an outcry from the pro-establishment camp which accused the management of bypassing the governing council on the redesign.
Three lawmakers, who also sit on the school’s decision-making council, have demanded an independent investigation to look into the saga, as they pointed their fingers at the leadership of the president, Rocky Tuan Sung-chi, who showed sympathy towards protesting students during social unrest in 2019 and secured his term renewal until 2027 despite opposition from the legislators.
Here’s what you need to know about the controversy.
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1. Why did CUHK change its emblem?
On October 17, CUHK said it launched “a brand refresh” including a new look for the university logo as it prepared to mark its 60th anniversary.
“As we prepare for the advent of our new ‘Jiazi’ (a sixty-year cycle), we have thought carefully with our stakeholders about the journey we have travelled and how we can build on our strong heritage to future-proof the CUHK brand over the decades to come,” said President Tuan.
It is the fourth time for CUHK’s emblem to have a new design since the University’s establishment in 1963. The second oldest university in the city also held an exhibition on the “Evolution of CUHK’s Emblem” on campuses but it was suspended after the emblem controversy erupted.
2. What does the new design look like?
The now-shelved emblem featured a golden phoenix on a purple background. The redesign retained the colours and symbol of the old version, but no longer halved the shield to apply the purple and gold in a reversed format.
The new crest also came with a “simplified version” for use on social media platforms, which removed the university’s motto written in four Chinese characters that stated: “Through learning and temperance to virtue.”
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3. What happened after CUHK launched its new design?
After CUHK unveiled the new crest, it immediately drew criticism from all three lawmakers who are also university council members, former city leader Leung Chun-ying, alumni and students. The beleaguered institution could hardly get any positive comments from anyone.
Lawmaker and CUHK council member Edward Lau Kwok-fan slammed the university for being disrespectful because it did not conduct any consultations, saying changing the emblem would hit a nerve for many people.
Lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan accused the university’s management of a lack of transparency over the change, adding that they were “treating us as if we are dead”.
Another lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu said he found out about the new emblem on the same day it was announced.
Tuan’s long-time critic, former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying, also weighed in, pointing his finger at Tuan and accusing him of treating the institution as if it were his own.
Joint College Student Union Working Group, a platform organising the new student union, hit out at the management for a lack of consultation and destroying tradition.
Some internet users even said the new phoenix looked like a pheasant and slammed the university for being ungrateful as it removed the ribbon with the school motto.
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4. Why did CUHK ditch its new design after a week?
The university did not provide a clear answer on why it abandoned the new design on Monday.
After a meeting on Tuesday, the university said its council had accepted Tuan’s recommendation that the emblem revert to its earlier version, without elaborating on the rationale behind the decision.
5. Why is the issue so contentious?
Two analysts said the university did not understand and underestimated what the emblem meant to students and alumni and attributed the backlash to a lack of consultation.
But Chinese University political scientist Ma Ngok said the lawmakers asking for the independent inquiry overreacted.
“There is indeed a procedural problem, but is it really a big deal that we need an independent investigation? It gives people an impression that different kinds of forces are attempting to intervene in the daily operation of the university,” Ma said.
Andrew Fung Ho-keung, director and chief executive officer of the private think tank Hong Kong Policy Research Institute, agreed that requiring an independent inquiry was unnecessary.
But he said there was indeed a “governance problem” of CUHK management reflected in this controversy.
“An emblem stands for an organisation, the management needs to be cautious if they want to change its design. There must be sufficient reasons for redesigning a logo but marking the 60th anniversary is not a good reason,” he said.
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6. How has Rocky Tuan been challenged since having his term renewed?
In April, CUHK governing council resolved that Tuan would be reappointed for three years commencing January 1, 2024, while it was widely reported that three lawmakers in the council opposed the resolution.
The renewal of his term drew criticism from the pro-establishment camp, with former chief executive Leung complaining that it amounted to rewarding Tuan for his questionable performance during the 2019 social unrest, when the university president showed sympathy towards protesting students.
CUHK, being plunged into intense confrontations between police and anti-government demonstrators in 2019, held a flag-raising ceremony attended by top local and mainland security officials in the city to mark the beginning of the new semester.
Analyst Fung said some lawmakers may want to use the emblem saga to challenge Tuan’s leadership, but his reappointment surely has the blessings of the city and the central government.